Veteran Nollywood actor Francis Duru has died at the age of 57 following a brief illness, his family has announced.
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The announcement was made in a statement shared on the actor’s official Instagram page in the early hours of Friday. The family thanked fans and well-wishers for their prayers, love and support during the period.
Duru is survived by his wife, Adokiye, and their children.
The actor began his career in 1989 and became widely recognised for playing Ahanna in Rattlesnake, the 1995 film produced by late filmmaker Amaka Igwe.
His death comes months after he dismissed reports in June that he was battling a life-threatening illness. In a video posted on Instagram at the time, he denied the claims and criticised those circulating footage linked to the reports.
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Born on July 27, 1969, in Cameroon to Nigerian parents from Imo State, Duru completed his primary and secondary education in Cameroon before moving to Nigeria for university.
He studied Theatre Arts at the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996.
Duru made his film debut in Missing Mark in 1989, in a production directed by the late Ndubuisi Oko. His performance in Rattlesnake later helped establish him as a familiar face in the Nigerian film industry.
Throughout his career, he featured in several films, including Blood Money (1997), Stigma (2013) and Mboputa (2020).
In 2020, he won the Best Actor in a Leading Role (Igbo) award at the Best of Nollywood Awards for his performance in Mboputa. He also received the United Nations Ambassador of Peace award in 2007 in recognition of his influence on young people.
Duru served as interim president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria in 2010 and was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Africa Movie Academy Awards that year.
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